Deprecated: The each() function is deprecated. This message will be suppressed on further calls in /home/zhenxiangba/zhenxiangba.com/public_html/phproxy-improved-master/index.php on line 456
US6807370B2 - Optical transmission system - Google Patents
[go: Go Back, main page]

US6807370B2 - Optical transmission system - Google Patents

Optical transmission system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US6807370B2
US6807370B2 US09/929,361 US92936101A US6807370B2 US 6807370 B2 US6807370 B2 US 6807370B2 US 92936101 A US92936101 A US 92936101A US 6807370 B2 US6807370 B2 US 6807370B2
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
monitoring
signal
light pulse
pulse signal
control command
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related, expires
Application number
US09/929,361
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
US20020131099A1 (en
Inventor
Shin-ichirou Harasawa
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Fujitsu Ltd
Original Assignee
Fujitsu Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Fujitsu Ltd filed Critical Fujitsu Ltd
Assigned to FUJITSU LIMITED reassignment FUJITSU LIMITED ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: HARASAWA, SHIN-ICHIROU
Publication of US20020131099A1 publication Critical patent/US20020131099A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US6807370B2 publication Critical patent/US6807370B2/en
Adjusted expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B10/00—Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing corpuscular radiation, e.g. quantum communication
    • H04B10/07—Arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems; Arrangements for fault measurement of transmission systems
    • H04B10/075—Arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems; Arrangements for fault measurement of transmission systems using an in-service signal
    • H04B10/079—Arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems; Arrangements for fault measurement of transmission systems using an in-service signal using measurements of the data signal
    • H04B10/0791—Fault location on the transmission path
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B10/00—Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing corpuscular radiation, e.g. quantum communication
    • H04B10/07—Arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems; Arrangements for fault measurement of transmission systems
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B10/00—Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing corpuscular radiation, e.g. quantum communication
    • H04B10/07—Arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems; Arrangements for fault measurement of transmission systems
    • H04B10/071—Arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems; Arrangements for fault measurement of transmission systems using a reflected signal, e.g. using optical time domain reflectometers [OTDR]

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an optical transmission system, and more particularly to an optical transmission system with a mechanism to locate a fault on an optical transmission line.
  • in-line repeaters are placed at certain intervals along the fiber optic cable laid under the sea, so that the attenuation losses of signals will be compensated for by intermediary optical amplification.
  • Such submarine systems are required to offer the highest level of reliability because a trouble in the undersea equipment would cost a lot of time and money to repair. For this reason, the system must have an integral troubleshooting mechanism that pinpoints the fault in the event of such a failure.
  • the researchers have proposed other fault locating techniques in which the probing light is transmitted by an undersea repeater.
  • the Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-326218 (1992) proposes a system with an extra fiber optic cable dedicated for transporting a probing light signal, although the cost of the system would increase because of the additional undersea cable laid in parallel with the main signal cable.
  • the Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-268597 (1994) discloses a technique which serves the same purpose, but is different from the foregoing system in that the fiber optic cable for main communication channels is used to measure a reflected light.
  • an object of the present invention to provide an optical transmission system which has a capability of locating a fault on a transmission line effectively and efficiently to ensure the quality of communication between end stations and repeaters.
  • an optical transmission system with a mechanism to locate a fault on an optical transmission line.
  • This system comprises: repeaters which relay optical signals over the optical transmission line, and an end station which controls optical signal transmission and remotely manages the repeaters.
  • Each repeater comprises monitoring report signal generating unit and a light pulse signal sending unit.
  • the monitoring report signal generating unit monitors the current operating status and input/output signal conditions of the repeater itself, and it generates a monitoring report signal to inform the end station of the monitoring results.
  • the light pulse signal sending unit transmits a probing light pulse signal to the optical transmission line to locate a fault thereon, as well as sending a complementary light pulse signal that is complementary to the probing light pulse signal.
  • the end station is equipped with a monitoring controller and a troubleshooting unit.
  • the monitoring controller comprises: a monitoring command sending unit which sends a monitoring control command to the repeaters; and a monitoring report processor which monitors the operating status of the repeaters by analyzing the monitoring report signals received therefrom, as well as identifies a faulty link section if any problem with the optical transmission line is detected.
  • the troubleshooting unit comprises: a troubleshooting command sending unit, a Rayleigh backscatter measurement unit, and a fault detection unit.
  • the troubleshooting command sending unit sends a troubleshooting control command to one of the repeaters that is located near to the identified faulty link section.
  • the Rayleigh backscatter measurement unit measures a Rayleigh backscattered light caused by the probing light pulse signal, using the complementary light pulse signal as a reference for synchronization. By analyzing the measured Rayleigh backscattered light, the fault detection unit locates the fault on the faulty link section.
  • FIG. 1 is a conceptual view of an optical transmission system according to the present invention
  • FIG. 2 shows the structure of a repeater
  • FIG. 3 is a timing diagram showing light emissions in monitoring mode
  • FIG. 4 is a timing diagram showing light emissions from laser diodes in failure detection mode and a resulting Rayleigh scattered light
  • FIG. 5 shows the structure of an end station
  • FIG. 6 (A) shows a format of monitoring control commands
  • FIG. 6 (B) shows a format of troubleshooting commands
  • FIG. 7 shows a lightwave modulation with which monitoring control commands and troubleshooting commands are transmitted
  • FIG. 8 shows a waveform of a Rayleigh scattered light
  • FIG. 9 shows another waveform of a Rayleigh scattered light
  • FIG. 10 shows yet another waveform of a Rayleigh scattered light
  • FIG. 11 shows the operation in monitoring mode
  • FIG. 12 shows the operation in failure detection mode.
  • FIG. 13 is a flowchart which shows a process of troubleshooting
  • FIG. 14 shows a first variation of the repeater according to the present invention.
  • FIGS. 15 and 16 show a second and third variations of the same.
  • FIG. 1 is a conceptual view of an optical transmission system according to the present invention.
  • This optical transmission system 1 comprises two end stations, a plurality of repeaters between the end stations, and optical transmission links (fiber optic cables) connecting them in series.
  • FIG. 1 shows only one end station 20 and the first m repeaters 10 - 1 to 10 -m connected to it.
  • the system 1 might be deployed as a terrestrial network or submarine network.
  • the optical transmission lines and repeaters 10 - 1 to 10 -m are laid under the sea, while the end station 20 is located in a building on the land.
  • Each repeater 10 (note: this reference numeral “ 10 ” is used to refer collectively to the repeaters 10 - 1 to 10 -m and so on) is equipped with a monitoring report signal generator 11 and a light pulse signal sending unit 12 for diagnostic purposes. More specifically, the monitoring report signal generator 11 produces a monitoring report signal in response to a monitoring control command sent from the end station 20 . This signal indicates the operating status of the repeater itself, such as its internal temperatures and the levels of electrical signals supplied to semiconductor laser devices. The monitoring report signal also reports the current condition of input/output signals including the main optical signals being transported. Those pieces of status information are referred to herein as the “monitoring result information.” The monitoring report signal containing such monitoring result information is transmitted back to the requesting end station 20 in the form of an optical signal.
  • the light pulse signal sending unit 12 sends a probing light pulse signal to an intended link section of the optical transmission line, in response to a troubleshooting command received from the end station 20 , in order to locate a fault on the optical transmission line. Some of this probing light pulse signal is deflected in the opposite direction in a phenomenon called the “Rayleigh scattering” (described later).
  • the light pulse signal sending unit 12 also produces a complementary light pulse signal which is complementary to the above probing light pulse signal and transmits it towards the end station 20 .
  • the end station 20 employs a monitoring controller 2 a and a troubleshooting unit 2 b .
  • the monitoring controller 2 a comprises a monitoring command sending unit 21 a and a monitoring report processor 22 a .
  • the monitoring command sending unit 21 a transmits a monitoring control command to request the repeaters 10 to report their status. Examining monitoring report signals returned from the repeaters 10 , the monitoring report processor 22 a observes their operating status and identifies which link section is faulty (if any such link problem is reported).
  • the troubleshooting unit 2 b comprises a troubleshooting command sending unit 21 b , a Rayleigh backscatter measurement unit 22 b , and a fault detection unit 23 b .
  • the troubleshooting command sending unit 21 b sends a troubleshooting command to one of the repeaters 10 that is located near to the identified faulty link section.
  • the Rayleigh backscatter measurement unit 22 b observes Rayleigh scattered lights caused by the transmitted probing light pulse signal, measuring the time of their occurrence, using the complementary light pulse signal sent from that repeater 10 for synchronization.
  • the fault detection unit 23 b analyzes the result of the Rayleigh backscatter measurement, thereby detecting (and locating) a fault on the optical transmission line.
  • the system employs fiber-optic cables as information-carrying media. Unlike pure crystals, the glass materials used in those cables exhibit some inhomogeneity in the density. Since the radius of such inhomogeneous portions is smaller than the wavelength of light, an incident light is partially deflected or scattered in different directions. This phenomenon is what has been referred to as the “Rayleigh scattering.” When a probing light pulse signal is transmitted in one direction, the resulting Rayleigh scattered light comes back in the opposite direction. According to the present invention, the proposed system watches the waveform of this Rayleigh backscattered light in order to detect a fault on the optical transmission line. Besides locating a breakage of an optical fiber cable, the system even detects a point at which the cable exhibits an increased loss for any reason. The system can also detect a failure within a repeater 10 , using the functions of the monitoring controller 2 a.
  • FIG. 2 shows the structure of a repeater 10 a .
  • This repeater 10 a supports two-way communication paths between the two end stations 20 - 1 and 20 - 2 , through its four optical ports P 1 to P 4 .
  • the monitoring report signal generator 11 and light pulse signal sending unit 12 comprises the following components: a monitoring controller 101 , a logic gate 102 , laser diodes (LDs) 103 a and 103 b , an LD controller 104 , photodiodes (PDs) 105 a and 105 b , and optical amplifiers 106 a and 106 b .
  • the bold solid lines represent fiber optic connections, and the junction points with small arcs represent optical couplers (or optical splitters/combiners).
  • the repeater 10 a has the following two operation modes: monitoring mode and failure detection mode.
  • monitoring mode the repeater 10 a receives monitoring control commands from the end station 20 - 2 . More specifically, a command signal arriving at the photodiode 105 b is converted into an electrical signal and supplied to the monitoring controller 101 .
  • the monitoring controller 101 takes in the monitoring control command if it is addressed to the repeater 10 a . Parsing the received command, the monitoring controller 101 collects information about the condition of the repeater 10 a and status of optical input/output signals being repeated. Those pieces of monitoring result information are subjected to the frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation, resulting in a monitoring report signal appearing at the input of the logic gate 102 .
  • the monitoring controller 101 sends control signals to the LD controller 104 to drive the laser diodes 103 a and 103 b.
  • FSK frequency shift keying
  • the logic gate 102 provides complementary outputs controlled by a single monitoring report signal input. That is, the logic gate 102 supplies one laser diode 103 a with a normal active-high (positive logic) signal, while it provides the other laser diode 103 b with an inverted active-low (negative logic) signal, based on the same input signal. With the power source under the control of the LD controller 104 , and with the monitoring report signal timings provided from the monitoring controller 101 , the two laser diodes 103 a and 103 b produce a monitoring light signal and a complementary monitoring light signal, respectively, both of which contain the same monitoring result information. Note here that these two light signals have different wavelengths.
  • the repeater 10 a sends out the monitoring report signal through the ports P 1 and P 4 , and the complimentary monitoring report signal through the ports P 3 and P 2 .
  • Incoming optical signals observed at the port P 1 are the main optical signal from the previous repeater and Rayleigh backscattered lights.
  • the optical amplifier 106 a amplifies those signals and outputs them to the next repeater through the port P 2 , together with the complimentary monitoring light signal produced within the repeater 10 a . Because of its inherent isolation between input and output, the optical amplifier 106 a prevents the outgoing signal at the output port P 2 from propagating back to the input port P 1 .
  • the main optical transmission signal from the upstream repeater arrives at the input port P 4 , along with Rayleigh backscattered lights.
  • the optical amplifier 106 b amplifies those signals and outputs them to the next repeater through the output port P 3 , together with the complimentary monitoring light signal produced within the repeater 10 a . Because of its inherent isolation between input and output, the optical amplifier 106 b prevents the outgoing signal at output the port P 3 from propagating back to the input port P 4 .
  • the repeater 10 a receives a troubleshooting control command from the end station 20 - 2 . More specifically, the command signal arriving at the photodiode 105 b is converted into an electrical signal and supplied to the monitoring controller 101 . The monitoring controller 101 takes in the troubleshooting control command if it is addressed to the repeater 10 a . Parsing the received command, the monitoring controller 101 supplies the logic gate 102 with a source signal for generating light pulse signals. At the same time, the monitoring controller 101 sends appropriate control signals to the LD controller 104 to drive the laser diodes 103 a and 103 b.
  • the logic gate 102 supplies one laser diode 103 a with a normal active-high (positive logic) signal, while it provides the other laser diode 103 b with an inverted active-low (negative logic) signal, based on the same light pulse source signal.
  • those laser diodes 103 a and 103 b produce a light pulse signal (referred to as the “probing light pulse signal”) and a complementary light pulse signal for failure detection purposes.
  • the repeater 10 a sends out the produced probing light pulse through the ports P 1 and P 4 , and the complementary light pulse signal through the remaining ports P 3 and P 2 .
  • FIG. 2 shows an example of this Rayleigh backscattered light observed at the port P 1 . More specifically, the probing light pulse sent out to the link C 1 is scattered back in the direction indicated by the arrow A.
  • the optical amplifier 106 a receives this Rayleigh scattered light through the port P 1 and amplifies and sends out it to the next link section C 2 through the port P 2 . Being amplified at each repeater along the path, the scattered light travels over the fiber optic cables C 2 , C 3 , . . . Cn, finally reaching the remote end station 20 - 2 .
  • the end station 20 - 2 measures the incoming Rayleigh scattered light, using the complementary light pulse signal with a different wavelength as the reference for synchronization. In this way, the end station 20 - 2 locates the fault on the link section C 1 .
  • the laser diodes 103 a and 103 b in the repeater 10 a emit a monitoring report signal and a complimentary monitoring report signal in monitoring mode.
  • FIG. 3 shows their light emitting operation when they are activated in monitoring mode.
  • the monitoring result information is encoded with FSK modulation techniques, where two frequencies f 1 and f 2 represent binary signal states. For example, one frequency f 1 is assigned to one signal state “0,” and the other frequency f 2 to the other state “1.”
  • the laser diodes 103 a and 103 b emit a probing light pulse signal and a complementary light pulse signal, respectively.
  • FIG. 4 is a timing diagram which illustrates such light emissions in failure detection mode, including a probing light pulse signal (A) and a complementary light pulse signal (B), as well as showing Rayleigh backscatter (C) resulting from the signal (A)
  • the hatched portions of FIG. 4 indicate the presence of active lights.
  • FIG. 5 shows an end station 20 a , which is largely divided into the following functional blocks: a monitoring controller 2 a , a troubleshooting unit 2 b , a supervisory unit 220 , a main signal transmitter 230 , and a main signal receiver 240 .
  • the bold solid lines represent fiber optic connections, and the junction points with small arcs represent optical couplers (or optical splitters/combiners).
  • the main signal transmitter 230 comprises a transmitter 231 , an amplitude modulator 232 , and an optical amplifier 233 .
  • the transmitter 231 controls the transmission of a main optical signal.
  • the amplitude modulator 232 modulates the amplitude of the main optical signal with given input signals such as monitoring control commands and troubleshooting control commands mentioned earlier. With the amplitude modulation, these control commands are superimposed on the main optical signal.
  • the optical amplifier 233 directly amplifies the modulated optical signal for delivery to the nearest repeater 10 .
  • the main signal receiver 240 comprises an optical amplifier 241 and a receiver 242 .
  • the optical amplifier 241 amplifies incoming light signals, and the receiver 242 receives the main signal contained in the amplified light signals.
  • the supervisory unit 220 manages the entire process of status monitoring and troubleshooting activities by controlling the monitoring controller 2 a and troubleshooting unit 2 b . While it is not shown in FIG. 5, a maintenance console is connected to the supervisory unit 220 to allow the operator to interact with the system.
  • the monitoring controller 2 a comprises a photodiode 211 , a band-pass filter 212 , an envelope detector 213 , a monitoring report signal processor 214 , and a control command processor 215 .
  • the photodiode 211 receives a part of the incoming optical signals amplified by the optical amplifier 241 and converts it into an electrical signal.
  • the band-pass filter 212 passes a particular range of wavelengths, including that of the monitoring report signal.
  • the envelope detector 213 performs envelope detection, extracting the baseband waveform of the monitoring report signal.
  • the monitoring report signal processor 214 decodes the monitoring report signal to provide the supervisory unit 220 with the content of the report.
  • the control command processor 215 performs coding of a monitoring control command or troubleshooting control command according to instructions from the supervisory unit 220 .
  • the coded command signal is then supplied to the amplitude modulator 232 .
  • the troubleshooting unit 2 b comprises an optical amplifier 201 , two optical filters 202 - 1 and 202 - 2 , two photodiodes 203 - 1 and 203 - 2 , an envelope detector 204 , a trigger signal extractor 205 , and signal processor 206 .
  • the optical amplifier 201 amplifies the incoming optical signals.
  • the optical filter 202 - 2 extracts a complementary light pulse signal out of the amplified incoming optical signals.
  • the photodiode 203 - 2 converts the complementary light pulse signal into an electrical signal.
  • the trigger signal extractor 205 detects each edge of the complementary light pulse signal and supplies it to the signal processor 206 for use as a trigger signal.
  • the other optical filter 202 - 1 extracts a Rayleigh backscattered light out of the amplified incoming optical signals.
  • the photodiode 203 - 1 converts the received Rayleigh backscattered light into an electrical signal.
  • the envelope detector 204 detects the envelope of this signal, thus extracting its baseband waveform.
  • the signal processor 206 analyzes the baseband waveform of the Rayleigh backscattered light, thereby locating a fault on the optical transmission line.
  • the envelope detector 204 uses a technique known as the optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR) to measure the backscatter with reference to the detected trigger signal. The result of the OTDR measurement is reported to the supervisory unit 220 .
  • OTDR optical time-domain reflectometry
  • the monitoring control command frame Fa consists of a repeater identification address field f 1 a and a monitoring command field f 2 a .
  • Each repeater is previously assigned a unique address.
  • the end station 20 puts the address of that repeater into the repeater identification address field f 1 a , besides setting an intended command codeword in the monitoring command field f 2 a.
  • the troubleshooting control command frame Fb consists of a repeater address field f 1 b and a fault locating command field f 2 b .
  • the end station 20 puts the address of that repeater into the repeater identification address field f 1 b , besides setting a necessary command codeword into the fault locating command field f 2 b.
  • FIG. 7 shows a lightwave modulation with which a monitoring control command or a troubleshooting command is transmitted.
  • command signals are overlaid on the main optical signal with an amplitude modulation technique.
  • the vertical axis represents the intensity of the backscatter.
  • the horizontal axis represents the distance from the observing end, which is actually measured in the time domain.
  • FIG. 8 shows a typical Rayleigh backscattered light observed when there is no problem in the fiber optic cable.
  • Probing light pulses are transmitted at predetermined intervals that are longer than the light propagation time of the link section under test. As the probing light pulse travels toward the far end of the link, the resulting backscatter comes back in the opposite direction, decreasing its intensity at a constant rate.
  • FIG. 9 shows a Rayleigh backscattered light that could occur when there was a fiber break at some point in the link section under test.
  • a transmitted probing light pulse signal encounters such a break, a relatively large portion of the light is reflected back to the transmitting end. This strong reflection, termed “Fresnel reflection,” is observed as a narrow peak as shown in FIG. 9 .
  • the end station 20 From the status information that has been provided as the monitoring result information, the end station 20 already knows which link section is faulty, as well as the length of each link section of the network. By measuring the time at which the Fresnel reflection light arrives, the end station 20 can pinpoint the location of the fiber break.
  • the probing light pulse signal of FIG. 9 has been transmitted from the tenth repeater (counted from one end station) down to the next-hop link section with a length of 100 km before the eleventh repeater.
  • FIG. 9 shows, a narrow peak is observed at the distance of 50 km from the transmitting end (i.e., the tenth repeater), indicating the presence of a fiber break at that remote point. Note that the end station identifies this distance in time-domain measurement.
  • FIG. 10 shows a waveform of a backscattered light when there is a loss of transmission at somewhere on the link section under test.
  • the tenth repeater has transmitted the probing light pulse signal of FIG. 10 down to the next-hop link section with a length of 100 km before the eleventh repeater.
  • FIG. 10 shows, a sudden drop of intensity is observed at the distance of 50 km from the transmitting end (i.e., the tenth repeater), indicating the presence of an increased loss at that remote point.
  • FIG. 11 shows one end station 20 - 1 and three repeaters 10 - 1 to 10 - 3 , as well as four link sections connecting them in series.
  • the individual link sections are referred to by the ordinal numbers starting with “zeroth.” In FIG. 11, the zeroth link section is the nearest to the end station 20 - 1 , and the “third” link section the furthest of all.
  • the end station 20 - 1 is attempting to monitor the second repeater 10 - 2 .
  • the end station 20 - 1 first sends a monitoring control command containing the address of the repeater 10 - 2 in its header field.
  • the repeater 10 - 2 determines whether the received monitoring control command is addressed to itself, and if so, it takes in that command.
  • the repeaters 10 checks its own operating status and input/output signal conditions. The collected information is compiled as a monitoring report signal and sent out in both directions simultaneously, in the form of light pulses.
  • FIG. 12 illustrates how the system operates in failure detection mode.
  • the end station 20 - 1 has collected the current status information from each repeater through the monitoring-mode processing explained in FIG. 11, and that survey indicates a problem with the third link section C 3 b .
  • This link section C 3 b falls within the coverage area of the repeater 10 - 3 in terms of fault locating functions.
  • the end station 20 - 1 issues a troubleshooting control command containing the address of the repeater 10 - 3 in its header field.
  • the repeater 10 - 3 determines whether the received troubleshooting control command is addressed to itself, and if so, it takes in that command.
  • the repeaters 10 - 3 injects a probing light pulse signal C into the fiber optic cable of the link section C 3 b , as well as sending a complementary light pulse signal D toward the end station 20 - 1 over the link section C 2 b .
  • another set of light pulse signals A and B are transmitted to the link sections C 2 a and C 3 a , respectively, because of the symmetrical structure of the repeater 10 discussed in FIG. 2 .
  • the end station 20 - 1 uses the complementary light pulse signal D as a trigger timing signal to capture the waveform of the resulting Rayleigh backscattered light. The end station 20 - 1 then locates the fault in the third link section C 3 b by analyzing the waveform of the Rayleigh backscattered light.
  • FIG. 13 is a flowchart which shows a process of troubleshooting.
  • the main signal receiver 240 in the end station 20 detects a disruption of the main optical signal.
  • Each repeater 10 collects status information in response to the monitoring control command and returns a monitoring report signal to inform the end station 20 of the monitoring results.
  • the specified repeater 10 sends out a probing light pulse signal, together with a complementary light pulse signal.
  • the end station 20 locates the fault in the link section by analyzing the waveform of the Rayleigh backscattered light.
  • This repeater 10 a - 1 a first variation of the repeaters 10 , employs optical switches 107 a and 107 b at the outputs of the laser diodes 103 a and 103 b , respectively. Being controlled with the complementary output signals of the logic gate 102 , these optical switches 107 a and 107 b interrupt the light beams generated by the laser diodes 103 a and 103 b , thereby producing the desired probing light pulse signal and complementary light pulse signal.
  • the other functional blocks of the repeater 10 a - 1 are similar to those of the repeater 10 a explained earlier in FIG. 2 .
  • FIG. 15 shows a repeater 10 a - 2 as a second variation of the repeater 10 .
  • This repeater 10 a - 2 employs external modulators 108 a and 108 b at the outputs of the laser diodes 103 a and 103 b , respectively. Being controlled with the complementary output signals of the logic gate 102 , these external modulators 108 a and 108 b vary the intensity of light beams generated by the laser diodes 103 a and 103 b , thereby producing the desired probing light pulse signal and complementary light pulse signal.
  • the other functional blocks of the repeater 10 a - 2 are similar to those of the repeater 10 a explained earlier in FIG. 2 .
  • the above two variations employ optical switches or external modulators to turn on and off the light signals, instead of directly driving the laser diodes.
  • optical switches or external modulators instead of directly driving the laser diodes.
  • the use of those additional components avoids the problem of chirping (variations in wavelength) of laser diodes, thus making more accurate measurement possible.
  • FIG. 16 shows a third variation of the repeater 10 .
  • this repeater 10 a - 3 employs wavelength division multiplex (WDM) couplers 109 a and 109 b and pumping light sources 110 a and 110 b in place of the optical amplifiers 106 a and 106 b.
  • WDM wavelength division multiplex
  • the pumping light sources 110 a and 110 b are optical power sources for Raman amplification.
  • Raman amplification is an optical amplification technique that takes advantage of a non-linear phenomenon in an optical fiber. When a light traverses through molecules, some of the scattered lights will have wavelengths that are different from that of the incident light because of vibrations of the scattering molecules. This physical phenomenon, called Raman effect, can be used to amplify a light beam.
  • a strong pumping light beam with a shorter wavelength e.g., 1.45- ⁇ m pump beam for 1.55- ⁇ m seed beam
  • the WDM couplers 109 a and 109 b serve as Raman amplifiers, receiving pump beams from the pumping light sources 110 a and 110 b and transmitting the amplified light signals over the fiber optic cables.
  • the repeaters 10 a - 3 uses distributed-constant optical amplifiers based on Raman amplification principles. This arrangement enhances the signal repeating capabilities, offering a great advantage in long-haul communication applications. Besides improving the stability of main optical signal transport, the proposed configuration enables more stable transmission of probing light pulse signals, thus contributing to more accurate operations of optical reflectometry.
  • each repeater 10 provides a monitoring report signal to inform the end station 20 of its current operating status. Based on the monitoring report signals, the end station 20 identifies a faulty link section if a problem is found in the optical transmission line. The end station 20 then sends a troubleshooting control command to the relevant repeater, and in response to this command, the repeater 10 transmits a probing light pulse signal and a complementary light pulse signal in order to locate a fault on the transmission line. Some of the probing light pulse signal would be reflected back toward the end station as a result of Rayleigh scattering. Using the complementary light pulse signal sent from the repeater 10 for synchronization, the end station 20 captures and analyzes the Rayleigh backscatter, thereby locating the fault of the optical transmission line.
  • the above mechanism of the present invention detects an increased fiber loss in an effective and efficient manner, in addition to locating a breakage of the fiber optic cable and isolating a repeater failure.
  • the proposed troubleshooting mechanism is effective to both undersea and terrestrial applications of fiber optic networks.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Optical Communication System (AREA)
  • Monitoring And Testing Of Transmission In General (AREA)
  • Testing Of Optical Devices Or Fibers (AREA)
US09/929,361 2001-03-16 2001-08-15 Optical transmission system Expired - Fee Related US6807370B2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2001076502A JP3696517B2 (ja) 2001-03-16 2001-03-16 光伝送システム
JP2001-076502 2001-03-16

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20020131099A1 US20020131099A1 (en) 2002-09-19
US6807370B2 true US6807370B2 (en) 2004-10-19

Family

ID=18933423

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US09/929,361 Expired - Fee Related US6807370B2 (en) 2001-03-16 2001-08-15 Optical transmission system

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US6807370B2 (ja)
EP (1) EP1241805B1 (ja)
JP (1) JP3696517B2 (ja)

Cited By (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20030151789A1 (en) * 2001-11-15 2003-08-14 Alcatel Optronics France Method of dynamically controlling an optical module
US20040037555A1 (en) * 2002-08-20 2004-02-26 Evangelides Stephen G. OTDR arrangement for detecting faults in an optical transmission system on a span basis
US20040047629A1 (en) * 2002-08-20 2004-03-11 Red Sky Systems, Inc. Adaptor arrangement for detecting faults in an optically amplified multi-span transmission system using a remotely located OTDR
US20050123293A1 (en) * 2002-07-23 2005-06-09 Fujitsu Limited Optical transmission method and system
US20050286892A1 (en) * 2004-06-29 2005-12-29 Youichi Okubo Optical lan device
US20060221435A1 (en) * 2005-03-30 2006-10-05 Fujitsu Limited Wavelength division multiplexing device, an optical leakage prevention method, and a wavelength division multiplexing communication system
US7174488B1 (en) * 2002-09-18 2007-02-06 Adtran, Inc. Echo canceler-based mechanism for performing and reporting fault diagnostic testing of repeatered telecommunication line
US20070166032A1 (en) * 2006-01-10 2007-07-19 Ciena Corporation Methods and systems for the performance analysis of fiber optic networks
US20080086278A1 (en) * 2005-11-04 2008-04-10 Anritsu Corporation Optical Time Domain Reflectometer, And Optical Fiber Measuring Method And Optical Fiber Measuring System ...
US7460498B2 (en) 2003-12-04 2008-12-02 Adtran, Inc. System and method for detecting anomalies along telecommunication lines
US20090167522A1 (en) * 2008-01-02 2009-07-02 Constance Coty Method and apparatus for monitoring a material medium
US20120002959A1 (en) * 2010-06-30 2012-01-05 Eci Telecom Ltd. Technology for fault allocation in passive optical networks (pon)
US20120182023A1 (en) * 2009-09-22 2012-07-19 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method for locating fault of submarine cable, repeater, and communication system
US20130129344A1 (en) * 2011-11-18 2013-05-23 Level 3 Communictions, Llc Apparatus, system and method for network monitoring
US20140161444A1 (en) * 2012-12-12 2014-06-12 Polarlink Technologies, Ltd. Remotely Controlled Fiber Testing Method
US20200099445A1 (en) * 2011-11-18 2020-03-26 Level 3 Communications, Llc Optical test device and systems

Families Citing this family (20)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP4588257B2 (ja) * 2001-06-27 2010-11-24 富士通株式会社 ラマン増幅を用いる光増幅システム
DE10360788A1 (de) 2003-12-23 2005-07-28 Marconi Communications Gmbh Optisches Kommunikationsnetz und Komponente dafür
US7634200B2 (en) * 2005-06-22 2009-12-15 National Central University Method and apparatus for transporting ethernet and radio frequency signals in fiber-optic system
GB0514680D0 (en) * 2005-07-16 2005-08-24 Tyco Electronics Raychem Nv PCB optical network monitor
US20070154215A1 (en) * 2006-01-05 2007-07-05 Tellabs Bedford, Inc. Method and apparatus for detecting optical reflections in an optical network
US7382947B1 (en) * 2006-08-29 2008-06-03 Laurence Moskowitz Remote monitoring of undersea cable systems
US8073387B2 (en) * 2007-05-22 2011-12-06 Powerwave Technologies, Inc. On frequency repeater with AGC stability determination
US8009983B2 (en) * 2008-06-26 2011-08-30 Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications Llc High loss loop back for long repeater span
CN101441092B (zh) * 2008-10-16 2012-05-30 北京邮电大学 基于相干光时域反射技术的周界防护传感定位系统
US8175454B2 (en) * 2008-12-15 2012-05-08 Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc. Fault locator for long haul transmission system
CN101931471B (zh) 2009-06-23 2013-08-07 华为海洋网络有限公司 一种监控光纤线路状态的方法、中继器和海缆系统
JP5499313B2 (ja) * 2011-05-16 2014-05-21 株式会社日立製作所 トランスポンダ、中継装置、及び端局装置
CN102497265B (zh) * 2011-11-24 2014-03-12 飞天诚信科技股份有限公司 一种脉冲光信号识别的方法及装置
JP2017005384A (ja) 2015-06-05 2017-01-05 富士通株式会社 光ネットワークシステム、光伝送装置及び検出方法
US10110302B2 (en) * 2015-09-28 2018-10-23 Huawai Technologies Co., Ltd. Optical network monitoring with a photonic switch
KR20180113983A (ko) * 2015-12-03 2018-10-17 아리조나 보드 오브 리전츠 온 비해프 오브 더 유니버시티 오브 아리조나 Wdm 네트워크 내의 신호 품질의 신속한 검증
WO2018210470A1 (en) 2017-05-17 2018-11-22 Alcatel Lucent Use of band-pass filters in supervisory signal paths of an optical transport system
EP3599726B1 (en) 2018-07-25 2021-05-19 Alcatel Submarine Networks Monitoring equipment for an optical transport system
EP3696997B1 (en) 2019-02-15 2022-06-15 Alcatel Submarine Networks Symmetrical supervisory optical circuit for a bidirectional optical repeater
EP4607820A1 (en) * 2024-02-21 2025-08-27 Adtran Networks SE Method for fault localization in an optical network

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4833668A (en) * 1986-07-10 1989-05-23 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company Fault detection in a full duplex optical communications system
JPH04326218A (ja) 1991-04-25 1992-11-16 Nec Corp 海底光中継装置
JPH06268597A (ja) 1993-03-12 1994-09-22 Fujitsu Ltd 光通信システムおよびその障害監視方法
US5528404A (en) * 1991-07-18 1996-06-18 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company Fault location in optical systems
US6075633A (en) * 1997-01-31 2000-06-13 Fujitsu Limited Light transmission system
US6404523B1 (en) * 1998-05-19 2002-06-11 Fujitsu Limited Wavelength division multiplexing system and its termination
US6452701B1 (en) * 1997-03-19 2002-09-17 Fujitsu Limited Wavelength division multiplexing communications network supervisory system

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4586186A (en) * 1983-08-08 1986-04-29 At&T Bell Laboratories Maintenance response signalling arrangement for a digital transmission system
US5436750A (en) * 1993-05-07 1995-07-25 Nec Corporation Optical repeatered transmission with fault locating capability
JP3402083B2 (ja) * 1996-08-05 2003-04-28 Ｋｄｄｉ株式会社 光ファイバ線路の障害位置検出装置

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4833668A (en) * 1986-07-10 1989-05-23 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company Fault detection in a full duplex optical communications system
JPH04326218A (ja) 1991-04-25 1992-11-16 Nec Corp 海底光中継装置
US5528404A (en) * 1991-07-18 1996-06-18 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company Fault location in optical systems
JPH06268597A (ja) 1993-03-12 1994-09-22 Fujitsu Ltd 光通信システムおよびその障害監視方法
US6075633A (en) * 1997-01-31 2000-06-13 Fujitsu Limited Light transmission system
US6452701B1 (en) * 1997-03-19 2002-09-17 Fujitsu Limited Wavelength division multiplexing communications network supervisory system
US6404523B1 (en) * 1998-05-19 2002-06-11 Fujitsu Limited Wavelength division multiplexing system and its termination

Cited By (37)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20030151789A1 (en) * 2001-11-15 2003-08-14 Alcatel Optronics France Method of dynamically controlling an optical module
US7593640B2 (en) * 2001-11-15 2009-09-22 Alcatel Optronics France Method of dynamically controlling an optical module
US20050123293A1 (en) * 2002-07-23 2005-06-09 Fujitsu Limited Optical transmission method and system
US20040037555A1 (en) * 2002-08-20 2004-02-26 Evangelides Stephen G. OTDR arrangement for detecting faults in an optical transmission system on a span basis
US20040047629A1 (en) * 2002-08-20 2004-03-11 Red Sky Systems, Inc. Adaptor arrangement for detecting faults in an optically amplified multi-span transmission system using a remotely located OTDR
US7099581B2 (en) * 2002-08-20 2006-08-29 Red Sky Subsea Ltd. OTDR arrangement for detecting faults in an optical transmission system on a span by span basis
US7624314B1 (en) * 2002-09-18 2009-11-24 Adtran, Inc. Echo canceler-based mechanism for performing and reporting fault diagnostic testing of repeatered telecommunication line
US7174488B1 (en) * 2002-09-18 2007-02-06 Adtran, Inc. Echo canceler-based mechanism for performing and reporting fault diagnostic testing of repeatered telecommunication line
US20090067353A1 (en) * 2003-12-04 2009-03-12 Gary Hunt System and method for detecting anomalies along telecommunication lines
US8242785B2 (en) 2003-12-04 2012-08-14 Adtran, Inc. System and method for detecting anomalies along telecommunication lines
US7460498B2 (en) 2003-12-04 2008-12-02 Adtran, Inc. System and method for detecting anomalies along telecommunication lines
US8767921B2 (en) 2003-12-04 2014-07-01 Adtran, Inc. System and method for detecting anomalies along telecommunication lines
US7295776B2 (en) * 2004-06-29 2007-11-13 Pacific Industrial Co., Ltd. Optical LAN device
US20050286892A1 (en) * 2004-06-29 2005-12-29 Youichi Okubo Optical lan device
US7619813B2 (en) * 2005-03-30 2009-11-17 Fujitsu Limited Wavelength division multiplexing device, an optical leakage prevention method, and a wavelength division multiplexing communication system
US20060221435A1 (en) * 2005-03-30 2006-10-05 Fujitsu Limited Wavelength division multiplexing device, an optical leakage prevention method, and a wavelength division multiplexing communication system
US20080086278A1 (en) * 2005-11-04 2008-04-10 Anritsu Corporation Optical Time Domain Reflectometer, And Optical Fiber Measuring Method And Optical Fiber Measuring System ...
US7620513B2 (en) * 2005-11-04 2009-11-17 Anritsu Corporation Optical time domain reflectometer, and optical fiber measuring method and optical fiber measuring system using the same
US20070166032A1 (en) * 2006-01-10 2007-07-19 Ciena Corporation Methods and systems for the performance analysis of fiber optic networks
US8761610B2 (en) * 2006-01-10 2014-06-24 Ciena Corporation Methods and systems for the performance analysis of fiber optic networks
US8067945B2 (en) 2008-01-02 2011-11-29 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. Method and apparatus for monitoring a material medium
US20090167522A1 (en) * 2008-01-02 2009-07-02 Constance Coty Method and apparatus for monitoring a material medium
US11193969B2 (en) 2008-01-02 2021-12-07 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. Method and apparatus for monitoring a material medium
US9506784B2 (en) 2008-01-02 2016-11-29 At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. Method and apparatus for monitoring a material medium
US9203510B2 (en) * 2009-09-22 2015-12-01 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method for locating fault of submarine cable, repeater, and communication system
US20120182023A1 (en) * 2009-09-22 2012-07-19 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Method for locating fault of submarine cable, repeater, and communication system
US20120002959A1 (en) * 2010-06-30 2012-01-05 Eci Telecom Ltd. Technology for fault allocation in passive optical networks (pon)
US8805184B2 (en) * 2010-06-30 2014-08-12 Eci Telecom Ltd. Technology for fault allocation in passive optical networks (PON)
US9118414B2 (en) * 2011-11-18 2015-08-25 Level 3 Communications, Llc Apparatus, system and method for network monitoring
US9584219B2 (en) 2011-11-18 2017-02-28 Level 3 Communications, Llc Optical test device and systems
US9673896B2 (en) 2011-11-18 2017-06-06 Level 3 Communications, Llc Optical test device and systems
US10084539B2 (en) 2011-11-18 2018-09-25 Level 3 Communications, Llc Optical test device and systems
US20200099445A1 (en) * 2011-11-18 2020-03-26 Level 3 Communications, Llc Optical test device and systems
US11012153B2 (en) * 2011-11-18 2021-05-18 Level 3 Communications, Llc Optical test device and systems
US20130129344A1 (en) * 2011-11-18 2013-05-23 Level 3 Communictions, Llc Apparatus, system and method for network monitoring
US8855486B2 (en) * 2012-12-12 2014-10-07 Polarlink Technologies, Ltd. Remotely controlled fiber testing method
US20140161444A1 (en) * 2012-12-12 2014-06-12 Polarlink Technologies, Ltd. Remotely Controlled Fiber Testing Method

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1241805A2 (en) 2002-09-18
EP1241805B1 (en) 2007-08-08
JP3696517B2 (ja) 2005-09-21
EP1241805A3 (en) 2005-06-08
JP2002280978A (ja) 2002-09-27
US20020131099A1 (en) 2002-09-19

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US6807370B2 (en) Optical transmission system
EP1023587B1 (en) Side-tone otdr for in-service optical cable monitoring
EP2472782B1 (en) Method, repeater and communication system for locating submarine cable fault
US7496296B2 (en) Optical transmission path monitoring system, monitoring apparatus therefor and monitoring method therefor
US8175454B2 (en) Fault locator for long haul transmission system
US20060029390A1 (en) Optical distribution network monitoring method and system
WO2005086780A2 (en) Cotdr arrangement with swept frequency pulse generator for an optical transmission system
US20110170862A1 (en) Optical communications in reciprocal networks based on wavelength switching
US20040047295A1 (en) Method and apparatus for providing a common optical line monitoring and service channel over an WDM optical transmission system
US7369219B2 (en) Active wavelength converter for use with an optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) and method for increasing OTDR supervision distance range
CN1934807B (zh) 光通信网络及其组成部件
JP7761697B2 (ja) 水中機器及び通信システム
US20050196175A1 (en) Method and apparatus for obtaining status information concerning an in-service optical transmission line
US20060159464A1 (en) Method and apparatus for in-service monitoring of a regional undersea optical transmission system using COTDR
US6472655B1 (en) Remote amplifier for an optical transmission system and method of evaluating a faulty point
CA2552578A1 (en) Method and apparatus for in-service monitoring of a regional undersea optical transmission system using cotdr
JP4138386B2 (ja) 移動体通信システム
KR100610663B1 (ko) 테스팅 광파장을 이용한 광선로 감시 시스템
Willner et al. Optical characterization, diagnosis, and performance monitoring for PON
JPH10262030A (ja) Ｗｄｍ光伝送における監視制御システム及びその端局
JP2024097655A (ja) 監視制御装置、光伝送路監視装置、および監視制御方法
KR200396306Y1 (ko) 테스팅 광파장을 이용한 광선로 감시 시스템
JP2006352727A (ja) 光信号受信システム及び光信号受信方法並びに光受信装置
JPH0730486A (ja) 光中継装置

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: FUJITSU LIMITED, JAPAN

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:HARASAWA, SHIN-ICHIROU;REEL/FRAME:012084/0135

Effective date: 20010726

FEPP Fee payment procedure

Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

Free format text: PAYER NUMBER DE-ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: RMPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

FPAY Fee payment

Year of fee payment: 4

FPAY Fee payment

Year of fee payment: 8

REMI Maintenance fee reminder mailed
LAPS Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees
STCH Information on status: patent discontinuation

Free format text: PATENT EXPIRED DUE TO NONPAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEES UNDER 37 CFR 1.362

STCH Information on status: patent discontinuation

Free format text: PATENT EXPIRED DUE TO NONPAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEES UNDER 37 CFR 1.362

FP Lapsed due to failure to pay maintenance fee

Effective date: 20161019